On May 24, 2017, the Department of Commerce held a public hearing as part of its investigation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 into the impact of steel imports on national security (see our previous client update for more information). In opening remarks, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross stated that the
Tariffs/Trade Policy
Executive Order Directs Homeland Security to Develop Plan to Collect Unpaid Tariffs
Asserting that importers who evade antidumping and countervailing duties in place against them expose U.S. employers to unfair competition and deprive the U.S. government of lawful revenue, President Trump signed an executive order, “Establishing Enhanced Collection and Enforcement of Antidumping and Countervailing Duties and Violations of Trade and Customs Laws,” on March 31. The order…
Trump Issues Executive Order Directing USTR and Secretary of Commerce to Review Trade Agreement Violations and Abuses
On April 29, 2017, his 100th day in office, President Trump announced an executive order directing the U.S. trade representative (USTR) and secretary of the Department of Commerce to commence a review of “all bilateral, plurilateral, and multilateral trade agreements and investment agreements to which the United States is a party” and “all trade relations…
Draft Notice to Congress Indicates Administration’s Intent to Begin Renegotiating NAFTA
In a draft letter to the Senate and House of Representatives, the Trump administration appeared closer to formally announcing and notifying Congress of its intent to begin renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The draft notes that the “persistent U.S. deficit in goods trade with Canada and Mexico demands that this administration take…
Executive Order Calls for Omnibus Report on Significant Trade Deficits
President Trump signed an executive order on March 31 requiring that the secretary of Commerce prepare and submit a report that examines the causes of trade deficits within 90 days (i.e., by June 29, 2017). The analysis will focus on the major causes of trade deficits, including, as applicable, differential tariffs, non-tariff barriers, injurious dumping,…
